Microsoft has significantly overhauled its certification portfolio in 2026. Several well-known exams have been retired, new roles have been added, and a whole family of certifications has emerged around Copilot and AI agents. Anyone getting their bearings right now mostly finds outdated overviews online. This post brings you up to date as of August 2026.
First: what was retired on 30 June 2026
Three widely used exams have not been bookable since the end of June 2026:
- AI-900 (Azure AI Fundamentals) — succeeded by AI-901
- AI-102 (Azure AI Engineer Associate) — succeeded by AI-103, now Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate
- DP-100 (Azure Data Scientist Associate) — succeeded by AI-300, Machine Learning Operations Engineer Associate
So if you still have study material for AI-900 or AI-102 lying around: it prepares you for an exam that no longer exists. Certifications you have already earned are unaffected and keep their value.
Getting started: the Fundamentals
The Fundamentals exams are short, inexpensive and require no prior knowledge. They are the right starting point if you come from a business department or simply want to get an overview of the landscape.
- AZ-900 — Azure Fundamentals. The classic entry point into the cloud.
- AI-901 — Azure AI Fundamentals. New, replaces AI-900.
- AB-900 — Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals. Also new, 45 minutes, currently only available in English.
- MS-900 — Microsoft 365 Fundamentals.
- SC-900 — Security, Compliance and Identity Fundamentals.
A common misconception: Fundamentals are not a mandatory step. If you have been administering Azure for years, go straight to AZ-104.
The Associate level: this is where it gets professionally relevant
The Associate certifications map to concrete roles. The most important ones for the Swiss market:
- AZ-104 — Azure Administrator Associate. The most in-demand Azure certification of all.
- AZ-204 — Azure Developer Associate.
- AZ-500 — Azure Security Engineer Associate.
- AI-103 — Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate. Also available in German.
- AI-300 — Machine Learning Operations Engineer Associate, successor to DP-100.
- AB-620 — AI Agent Builder Associate, focused on Copilot Studio. Also available in German.
- SC-200, SC-300, SC-400 — Security Operations, Identity and Access, Information Protection.
New in the pipeline is AB-650 (AI Services Administrator Associate). The exam initially ran as a beta in 2026, with general availability announced for October 2026. Beta exams are cheaper, but the result only arrives with a delay — not ideal if you need the title by a fixed date.
The Expert level
AZ-305 leads to Azure Solutions Architect Expert and requires AZ-104. AZ-400 leads to DevOps Engineer Expert and requires AZ-104 or AZ-204.
New is AB-100, Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect — also at Expert level, with an Associate certification as a prerequisite, currently only available in English.
Which path suits which profile
You currently administer Windows Server and want to move into the cloud: AZ-900, then AZ-104. This is the most common and reliable path.
You look after Microsoft 365 in your organisation: MS-900, then the administration track, and AB-900 once Copilot is on the agenda. Keep an eye on AB-650 once it becomes generally available.
You are a developer and want to build in AI functionality: AI-901 to get oriented, then AI-103. If you operate models rather than just use them, AI-300.
You are expected to build Copilot agents at your organisation: AB-620 with Copilot Studio. This is currently the most hands-on certification in this field.
You come from security: SC-900, then depending on your focus SC-200 (operations), SC-300 (identities) or AZ-500 (Azure infrastructure).
What a Microsoft certification means in practice
Three things you should clarify before registering:
Validity. Role-based certifications run for one year and are renewed via a free online renewal, which you can unlock six months before expiry. Fundamentals do not expire. That is considerably less effort than with ISC2 or ISACA — but it costs you a slot in the calendar every year.
Exam language. Not every exam is available in German. AB-900 and AB-100 are currently English only, while AI-103 and AB-620 are also available in German. If English is an additional hurdle for you, check this before booking.
The course does not replace the exam. An official course prepares you, but the exams include case studies and interactive tasks that require practice. Budget your own preparation time on top of the course.
And if you don’t need a certification at all
For end users, there is deliberately no certification around Copilot, only courses — for example MS-4004 on everyday use cases. For many teams, this is the more effective route: a day on which everyone learns the same moves changes daily work more than a certificate held by a single person.
Our offering
We run the official Microsoft courses for the certifications listed above, as classroom training in Wangen-Brüttisellen or as online live training. All information in this post is sourced from Microsoft Learn, as of August 2026; exam content and availability change continuously.
Not sure where to start? Get in touch — we’ll look at your profile and tell you honestly which exam is worth it and which isn’t.
